The invention relates to a vehicle washing installation comprising a first and a second support on which a roof wash brush rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation and a roof drying unit are each held for movement back and forth between an upper and a lower end position and comprising a splash guard element which is arranged between the roof wash brush and the roof drying unit at a level of the upper end positions of the roof wash brush and the roof drying unit.
The roof wash brush provides for cleaning the engine hood, the windscreen and the roof of a motor vehicle and also the area of the boot lid. The roof wash brush can be adjusted in its height according to the course of the vehicle's contour. Cleaning liquid, preferably water, can be applied to the vehicle by way of spray nozzles. In order to permit drying of the vehicle at the end of a cleaning process, the vehicle washing installation has a roof drying unit which is mounted to the two supports, also in a height-adjustable manner, and is capable of being adjusted in its height according to the course of the vehicle's contour. Like the roof wash brush, the roof drying unit can be moved back and forth between an upper end position and a lower end position.
It has proven advantageous for the roof wash brush and the roof drying unit to have a splash guard device arranged therebetween, said splash guard device being positioned at a level of the upper end positions of the roof wash brush and the roof drying unit. The splash guard device is configured as a sheet-form element and can be formed for example from sheet metal or from a plastics material. It comprises two lateral edges, each facing towards a support, and an upper and a lower edge which extend between the lateral edges.
In order to wash a vehicle, the vehicle can be moved relative to the supports. It may also be provided for the vehicle washing installation to be configured as a gantry-type washing installation in which the two supports are interconnected at their upper ends via a traverse and can be moved together with the traverse along a vehicle.
It is an object of the present invention to improve a vehicle washing installation of the type mentioned at the outset such that it provides a compact configuration and achieves a very good cleaning result.